No matter if you’re visiting the city for a couple of days or months, you’ll soon come to realize that there’s plenty of fun things to do in San Francisco. Not only does SF have some really great attractions like Alcatraz and Golden Gate Park, but it also has a wide range of activities you can take part in. From brunching with family, getting boba tea with friends, browsing indie or brand-name shops or seeing a Broadway show.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of things to do in San Francisco. But it will certainly give you a good head start in getting to know some of the best facets of the city by day and by night. Here are our suggestions for the 20 best things to do in San Francisco.
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Eat
- New Orleans-inspired cuisine: Getting brunch at Brenda’s French Soul Food is one of the best things to do in San Francisco. Tuck into supremely satisfying dishes like the crawfish beignets, eggs benedict with creole hollandaise, or shrimp and grits with bacon gravy.
- Dim sum: If you’re looking for a tasty breakfast or lunch on the go, try Dim Sum Bistro (675 Broadway) in Chinatown. Score some Shanghai soup dumplings, shrimp and pork siu mai, and deep-fried sesame balls filled with bean paste all at budget-friendly prices.
- Mission-style burritos: La Taqueria (2889 Mission Street) serves up hefty burritos that skip the rice while going big on the meat, beans, cheese, and whatever other fillings you opt for. Order a super burrito dorado-style, seared on the grill for a crispy exterior.
- Fresh-made pasta: Warm and inviting Cotogna in Jackson Square serves some of the best pasta in the city. Try one of celebrated Chef Michael Tusk’s northern Italian specialties like agnolotti del plin and tagliatelle.
- Dungeness crab: No San Francisco visit is truly complete without a meal featuring whole crab. You can feast on this delicious crustacean at Thanh Long (4101 Judah Street), which makes it three ways—roasted (our pick), drunken, and simmered in tamarind.
Drink
- Bubble tea: “Next level quality” is the Boba Guys promise when you get one of its all-natural milk teas, served with a scoop of chewy tapioca balls (a.k.a. boba). Go for the strawberry matcha latte or Hong Kong milk tea when you need a little pick-me-up.
- Pour-over coffee: Philz Coffee doesn’t do espresso drinks. Instead, it’s all about really flavorful coffee that’s made one cup at a time. Pour-over coffee is made by slowly pouring hot water over fresh-ground coffee beans that’s then filtered into each cup. Start your day on the right foot with a cup of Jacob’s Wonderbar, Silken Splendor, or Philharmonic.
- Beer: When it’s sunny in San Francisco, meeting up with friends in an outdoor beer garden makes a whole lot of sense. Snag a table at the Biergarten (424 Octavia Boulevard) in Hayes Valley on a weekend afternoon, then order up steins of Bavarian beer and giant pretzels with cheese sauce.
- Wine: It doesn’t get much cozier than 20 Spot, a wine bar and restaurant in the Mission that serves a highly curated mix of whites, rosés, and reds from Austria and Italy to Hungary and California. Pair your French Pinot with the steak tartare, or your Grüner Veltliner with the fully loaded cheese board.
- Craft cocktails: From the Brown Butter Old Fashioned to the Bitter Mermaid, The Alembic is a Haight Street cocktail bar that boasts a creative lineup of good-looking drinks that go down (dangerously) easy. And it hosts Monday mixology classes for folks interested in shaking and stirring their own cocktails.
Shop
- Union Square: Neiman Marcus, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Barney’s, and Bloomingdale’s. You’ll find them—along with all of the major brands, from Apple to Urban Outfitters—in and around Union Square, SF’s main retail district.
- Ferry Building Marketplace: Regional artisan vendors such as Acme Bread, Heath Ceramics, and Miette Patisserie sell delicious savory and sweet treats as well as one-of-a-kind wares at the Ferry Building Marketplace. Head there on a Saturday, when the city’s largest farmers market surrounds the sprawling building.
- Hayes Valley: A handful of hip boutiques line Hayes Street between Franklin and Laguna, covering home décor, jewelry, shoes, athleisure, high-end fashion, and more. Go to Hayes Valley for an afternoon browse, then relax at one of the outdoor cafes or eateries, like Om Sabor, in the area.
- Mission: The Valencia corridor in the Mission is chock full of an eclectic mix of shops, which includes everything from clothing and skincare to pirate supplies and taxidermy. Spend a day cruising up and down the street, then head over to Arizmendi Bakery (1272 Valencia Street) for a freshly baked pastry or pizza (slice) of the day.
- Upper Fillmore: The upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood, specifically Fillmore Street, is home to luxe stores such as Aesop, Rag & Bone, and Intermix. And it’s got plenty of great cafes and restaurants so you can refuel as you go.
See a Show
- Outside: When it comes to things to do, San Francisco has a bunch of outdoor music festivals you can enjoy—many of which are free for all. Notable festivals include Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Due South, Stern Grove Festival, Outside Lands, Opera in the Park, and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.
- Indoors: San Francisco has its fair share of lively music venues, from larger concert halls like the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, The Warfield, and The Fillmore to smaller spots like Café du Nord, The Chapel, and Bottom of the Hill (1233 17th Street).
- On the big screen: Reserve seats in advance at the Mission District’s Alamo Drafthouse, where you can see the latest movie releases with a full plate of food and cocktail in front of you. Or check out the Alamo’s Terror Tuesday or Weird Wednesday lineup.
- Around Civic Center: If classical music is more your speed, then book tickets at the SF Opera, SF Symphony, or SF Ballet, which run polished performances in breathtaking venues in and around the city’s Civic Center neighborhood.
- Theater district: Union Square’s theater district is to San Francisco what Broadway is to New York. Plays and musicals make their way from the Big Apple to the city by the Bay, running at venues like the Orpheum Theatre (1192 Market Street), Curran, Golden Gate Theatre, and American Conservatory Theater.
SF native Lisa Park is a content strategist, editor, and writer whose past credits include food-centric stints at Martha Stewart, 7×7, and Foodsmart. An Institute of Culinary Education grad, she worked for top chefs in NYC and SF. These days, you’ll find Lisa cooking at home and exploring the SF Bay Area’s best eats.